


In His Arms

by AlwaysEachOther



Category: One Tree Hill
Genre: Episode Related, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:15:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23841361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysEachOther/pseuds/AlwaysEachOther
Summary: Nothing matters right now other than the feel of Brooke's hair under his fingertips and the soft sounds of her breathing. A moment between Brooke and Julian after her drowning. Post episode for 8.11.
Relationships: Julian Baker/Brooke Davis
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	In His Arms

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I love Brulian in 8.11 and I always wished they had given us just a little bit more interaction at the end of the episode, so I wrote it myself. I hope you enjoy it.

The house is still and quiet, so different from the night before.

Nothing matters right now other than the feel of Brooke’s hair under his fingertips and the soft sounds of her breathing. Her hand is still held tightly in his, even after she’d succumbed to exhaustion. The sun is coming up, the TV has fallen silent since the movie ended and the crazy storm has passed, leaning the sun in its wake. But none of it matters.

He’s sitting rigidly on the couch, Brooke’s head resting on his lap and her hand in his. The tightness in his chest had lessened slightly after arriving home from the hospital a few hours ago, but it’s still present, firm and steady. The only thing helping is the feel of his fiancée against his leg, and the soothing motion of his fingers stroking through her hair. He’d started it to help her relax, but she’s been asleep for a while now and he’s still doing it without realising, so it’s helping him more than her now.

Julian has never experienced true loss, or the threat of true loss before. Sure, he’d had an absent father most of his life, and he’d lost girlfriends from his life, but none of it compares to what could have happened the night before, what came so close to coming true. He knows if Brooke hadn’t started breathing again, he wouldn’t have either.

He knows he should stop thinking about the what if’s and focus on the fact that she’s here with him, but he can’t stop his mind from running a mile a minute.

Brooke catches his attention and pulls him from his thoughts as she lets out a soft sigh. She shifts slightly and he knows she’s woken as she slowly turns her body to look up at him.

“Hey, beautiful.” He whispers, running a hand across her jawline.

Her eyes are still dull and tired, but a hint of a smile crosses her face as she returns his greeting. “Hey, fiancé.”

His chest tightens again when he realises how close he came to never hearing those words from her again. The one word she loves to say more than anything, at least until she can call him her husband.

“Hey,” She whispers, lifting a hand up to his face to brush away a tear he hasn’t realised he’d shed. “I’m so sorry, Julian.”

He takes her hand back in hers and pulls it to his mouth, pressing a kiss to it. “This is so far from being your fault, so there’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“Still, I’m sorry I scared you.” She whispers, her voice even raspier than usual.

He shakes his head, leaning down to kiss her lips this time. “Not your fault.” He whispers against her mouth.

She sighs and tangles her fingers in his hair. It’s even more of a curly mess than usual from being in the rain and the river and then drying in a sterile hospital room. But she doesn’t care, and he’s still as gorgeous as ever. Her handsome, caring fiancé who saved her.

“I’m still sorry I left after our fight. If I hadn’t then we wouldn’t have been in this mess.” She whispers, her eyes dropping away from his.

Julian shakes his head. “No, baby. I mean, it wasn’t the smartest move to begin with, but if you hadn’t then maybe no one would’ve saved Lauren and the kids. You did such an amazing job baby, and I’m so proud of you. As if I needed more proof that my girl is the bravest and toughest woman ever.”

His kind words bring tears to her eyes this time, and she simply nods, unable to verbally respond. She clutches at his hand again and turns her head so she can bury her face in his chest. His hand resumes stroking through her hair in an attempt to soothe her once more.

“Do your ribs still hurt?” He asks softly, dreading her answer.

She nods hesitatingly, knowing he’s feeling guilty from the bruises he’d given her during his attempts to revive her. “Yes, but I’m alive, so it’s worth it.”

He sighs heavily and changes the subject. “Do you want to go to bed? You still need to rest and you might be more comfortable there.”

“Only if you come with me.” She whispers.

His heart clenched at her vulnerable tone. “Of course, baby, I’m not going anywhere without you.” He means it too, without an inch of hyperbole. He’s pretty positive that he will never let her out of his sight ever again.

He helps her to sit up and climb off the couch, headed for their bedroom.

“Actually, I need to have a shower before we get into bed.” He realises how disgusting he feels from all the water, sure she must feel the same way.

“Yeah, sounds good.” She sighs in agreement.

He takes her hand in his and leads her to the bathroom. He turns away to switch the tap off and fuss with the temperature to make sure it’s hot enough for her. When he turns back, her pale face makes his heart jump.

“Brooke? What is it, baby?”

She’s standing there, her arms crossed tightly across her small body, as if she’s physically holding herself together.

“I don’t want to go in the water.” She whispers, and her broken tone makes him want to kick himself. Instead, he takes her into his arms, holding her tightly.

“It’s ok, baby. It won’t hurt you. I won’t let it, ok? I’m not going to leave you.”

She wordlessly nods her head and allows him to help peel her clothes off. When they step into the shower his arms encircle her again and she buries her face in his chest once more, blocking out the sight of the water falling from the shower head.

“It’s ok, I’ve got you.” Julian whispers over and over again, one hand steady on her back and the other against her head. “You’re safe now, baby.”

Her tears mix with the water from the shower but he doesn’t say anything, just keeps holding her close.

After some time her tight grip on his loosens slightly and he pulls away just enough to gently wash her body and with soap. Eventually her eyes open and she watches him as he moves on to her hair. By the time he’s finished, all the tension has left her body and she cuddles into him out of love, not desperation.

He helps her dry off and change into pyjamas before climbing under the covers of their bed after her. Her head finds its spot on his chest and she kisses the skin right over his heart.

“I love you, Julian Baker.” She whispers.

“I love you, Brooke Davis.” He replies.

She feels her eyelids growing heavy again, but she tilts her head up to look at him. “I can’t wait for you to be my husband.”

The soft looks that overtakes his face is everything she’s come to expect from him, but she’s sure she’ll never get used to it.

“I can’t wait for you to be my wife.”

She relaxes against him and falls asleep quickly, leaving Julian with his thoughts once more. He’s often thanked the universe for bringing Brooke Davis into his life, but tonight he thanks the universe for letting him keep her, and swears that he’ll never take it for granted. 


End file.
